China’s policy of ‘chequebook diplomacy’ is suffering setbacks as recipients of its largesse – from Ukraine to Zimbabwe – struggle to repay loans, putting Beijing’s claims of leadership in the developing world at risk

Life under Isis: An explosion at the gates, sleeper cells attacking from within – how militants overthrew the city of Hit in less than 24 hours (The Independent)

By Gideon Rachman
Just before Alexis Tsipras was elected Greek prime minister in January, he made a vow to the voters: “On Monday national humiliation will be over. We will finish with orders from abroad.”

By Gideon Rachman
When a government starts murdering its critics in the streets, it has crossed the line into barbarism. President Vladimir Putin of Russia is fond of accusing the administration in Ukraine of fascism. But it is the aggressive, self-pitying nationalism whipped up by Mr Putin — allied to the persecution and now murder of his domestic opponents — that is truly reminiscent of the politics of Russia and Germany in the 1930s.

The market for corporate debt from emerging markets has seen explosive growth as investors sought higher yields. But amid slowing growth in China, Brazil and other countries, some see signs of distress

If the Minsk II agreement reached between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany can secure a ceasefire and save a few lives, then it is probably a good thing. But you would have to be fairly naive to believe that is the end of the matter.

Over the past year, President Putin has shown that he is a master of turning military pressure on and off to keep the Ukrainians and the west on the hop. And there are a couple of other reasons for suspecting that the fighting may soon restart.

First, the Russians have not yet achieved even the relatively limited goal of establishing a land corridor between Russia and Crimea. Until they do this, the economic situation in Crimea is likely to be very precarious. Second, while Russia’s denials that it is behind the fighting in eastern Ukraine are not credible (if so, why are they even negotiating a ceasefire?), it may well be true that Moscow is not in complete control of events. The Ukrainian side may also be unable to control some of the nationalist militias that are fighting in the east of the country. Read more

China’s education minister has just issued an edict to the country’s universities that sounds like something from the heyday of Maoism. “Never let textbooks promoting western values enter our classes,” thundered Yuan Guiren. “Any views that attack or defame the leadership of the party or socialism must never be allowed.”

Time to start arming the Ukraine government?
The upsurge in fighting between pro-Russian separatist rebels and Ukrainian government forces has shown how little diplomatic leverage the west now appears to have with the Kremlin. There is an increasingly lively debate about whether the west should provide Kiev with arms to help it face down the secessionist onslaught. Ben Hall discusses the crisis with Neil Buckley, Geoff Dyer and Stefan Wagstyl.

Greece’s new finance minister proposed a “menu of debt swaps”, which involve exchanging existing loans for growth-linked bonds, that fall short of a headline write-off of the country’s €315bn foreign debt

Donetsk’s $1bn airport was supposed to showcase the country’s prosperity. Instead it has become a battleground, with airliners replaced by a relentless stream of rockets that have reduced the glass-fronted terminal to a skeleton of blasted concrete and warped steel

The unusual manoeuvres of a mysterious object launched by the Russian military are being tracked by western space agencies, stoking fears over the revival of a defunct Kremlin project to destroy satellites

Distrust of foreigners taps deep into Turkey’s national psyche and history. But anti-western rhetoric has hardened following anti-government protests last year and conflict in the region that has left Ankara feeling isolated

Both in private and public the Russians are now making increasingly explicit references to their country’s nuclear arsenal – but is it just posturing to stop the west supplying military aid to Ukraine?

The build-up of Russian tanks, troops and weaponry in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine raises the question: What is Russia up to? Military analysts and Kremlin watchers see a number of potential scenarios

The Republicans’ first step to election victory in the midterms was to crush rebels in their own party, with vetting that included sending fake campaign trackers to trail their own candidates, reports the New York Times

By Gideon Rachman
Is Vladimir Putin a wimp? The Russian president has a macho image and has shocked the west with his annexation of Crimea. But, in Moscow, there are hardliners who seem frustrated that he has not gone further.

The appointment of Donald Tusk as president of the European Council was greeted with a certain amount of bafflement in Brussels. The former prime minister of Poland does not speak much English or French – and they are the two main working languages of the EU. And while he is known as a strong and sometimes charismatic leader, he is not someone who is renowned for his interest in detail – or his patience with committee work. The main job of the council president is to broker complicated deals between national leaders – a job that requires patience, a command of detail, a degree of modesty and, preferably, an ability to converse without the need to go through translators. The outgoing council president, Herman van Rompuy, ticks all these boxes. Mr Tusk, arguably, ticks none of them. Read more

The World

with Gideon Rachman

Gideon became chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times in July 2006. He joined the FT after a 15-year career at The Economist, which included spells as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Washington and Bangkok. He also edited The Economist’s business and Asia sections.

His particular interests include American foreign policy, the European Union and globalisation